Our friend, Georgia

Word is spreading about our beautiful toys! We have made so many wonderful friends of customers who love our philosophy and way of life. After appearing on the Dr. Phil show, Hollywood celebrities began noticing our products where Going Green is becoming the "Hip" way of life.

A sweet friend of ours and Hollywood celebrity, Georgia Durante, recently sent us a few pictures of her Granddaughter playing with one of our kitchen sets.

Georgia wrote a fascinating book about her life in the Mafia. She also owns the biggest stunt company in Hollywood and was the most photographed model of the 1970's. She is one cool lady whom we are honored to call our friend.

She plans on staying with us for a few days this spring when she is out this way. We look forward to seeing her soon!

Ivy's Little Nook

Yesterday I created a little nook for Ivy to sit and look at her favorite books. Dakota helped me to create this little spot just for her little sister. We surprised Ivy when she woke up from her nap. She was so excited to have a special space all her own. Of course we all enjoy the new little cozy corner together.

I love the make the most out of every inch of space we have. I want our home to be cozy, warm and treasured refuge for all of us. One of my passions is created new and interesting little nooks in unexpected places.

Nesting Madness!

I have been nesting like crazy! I can't stop cleaning and organizing. I have spent very little time online where we have been so busy with the business and upcoming holidays. The kids and I have been making Christmas gifts for friends and family and I have been getting everything ready for the baby with organizational madness. It is amazing how nature wants me to focus on that now. Today I purchased two stackable organizational drawer units for winter clothes and even labeled the drawers for everyone in the family.

My Mom just this week sent me a new electric frying pan, new knives and the most amazing gift! A KitchenAid mixer!! Wow, is it awesome! So, needless to say I have been a baking, sewing, reading, ornament making, kid-cuddling Mama lately, (between answering the phone for Willow Toys.) My online ventures have been limited, but I was able to sneak a few things in tonight after being interviewed by a women doing a term paper aout Unschooling.

I know I've said it before, but I really, really love my life. The ebbs and flows of the seasons and the growth of our family. I am so focused right now on making our nest cozy and warm.

Ahhhh...life is good!

The Girls First Dental Cleaning

Last week all three kids had an appointment to get their teeth cleaned. Devin has been going for years now, but Dakota has always been very afraid to have it done and we have never forced her.
She was finally ready to experience having her teeth cleaned and she really enjoyed the process. We made an appointment for Ivy to have hers cleaned too, but didn't really know what to expect where she has never been before. We were surprised that after she saw Dakota and Devin have their teeth cleaned that she happily jumped into the chair!
Ivy is 2 1/2 and Dakota is 6. Here they both are experiencing their first dental cleaning together. I am so happy that we have always honored when our children were ready to have this done. What an example of every child being ready at different ages for different things in life. It was a really positive, Joyful experience for all of us. We ended the day with a trip to Chuck E Cheeses for pizza and games. It was a day we will always cherish!

Busy Month!

Wow! have we been busy! We aren't really used to this because we usually live life in the slow lane. One of our wooden kitchens was in the latest issue of Mothering Magazine in their "Best Natural Toys of 2007" article. The phone hasn't stopped ringing since! We had to hire 5 people to work in the shop with Joe, which has been a new adventure! We have never had anyone work for us before besides a friend or two helping out. We learned a lot through that whole process of applications and interviews. The first day we had an ad in the paper looking for help we received over 40 phone calls!

We are living in such gratitude and abundance right now. Here is the picture from Mothering Magazine of our "Willow Kitchen". It is my personal favorite and so special to me because it was the first kitchen that we ever designed. It is what started it all for us 4 years ago. The natural growth of this business has been such a learning experience for our whole family. It is such an honor to be "Santa's Helpers".

Connecting With Baby Brother

Last night my friends Maureen and Lindsey, who are midwives, came over for a visit and the kids had a blast measuring my belly and listening to their baby brothers heartbeat. We are all looking so forward to the birth of this little guy! All the kids plan on taking part in the birth in some way. We are all anxiously anticipating meeting little baby boy. So much to look forward to!

Ornament Making

Today the kids and I enjoyed making salt dough Christmas ornaments. It took us all day from start to finish. We originally planned on making them for family and friends for Christmas, but once they were done, the kids wanted to keep all of them for us. We plan on making our second batch of ornaments this week for gifts. It was such a fun day playing Christmas music and creating beautiful keepsakes together all day in our jammies and slippers. I love this time of year!!